Football recruiting: Phillips still the center of attention six months after playoff run, via @bobnarang

Phillips football coach Troy McAllister has been a busy man.

All the Wildcats did in the past eight months was make school history by becoming the second Chicago Public League team to advance to a state championship game, receive local and national attention and have four players commit to play in college.

"The attention has been great for the program and especially the players," McAllister said. "The opportunities are increasing for our players, and they can feel a sense of pride. They're excited to have an opportunity to play at the next level. Recruiting hasn't stopped for some of them since the season ended, which is a good thing. SEC schools have come into our building for the first time."

The junior is a multi-dimensional player, capable of playing slot receiver, defensive back and returning kicks in college.

"Quayvon's recruiting is slowly building up and is now in the second stage of recruiting where schools are coming in to watch him live," McAllister said. "He has good ball skills and great hands. It's only a matter of time before some bigger schools make an offer to him."

Fremd junior Kenney Lyke went from having no offers to being a top target for colleges seeking an athletic safety in a matter of months.

Lyke said he received his first offer from Miami (Ohio) in December. He was so far under the radar that a local suburban newspaper failed to list Lyke on its...

(Bob Narang)

"It's still fun receiving offers," Skanes said. "I haven't gotten into picking a school because I'm still weighing my options. I'm trying to open up more options because I want to compete at a high level. I want to open up some eyes and create more options."

Skanes caught 41 passes for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns for the 12-2 Wildcats last season. He fell short of winning a state title when Rochester scored 21 points in the third quarter to pull away in a 49-28 win in the Class 4A state title game.

Skanes is working on erasing the memories of that loss by capturing a state championship in track. He ran a leg in Phillips' city title-winning 100 relay on Saturday.

His work in the classroom is another selling point to colleges. McAllister said Skanes has a 3.7 grade-point-average.

"Quayvon has always been motivated, and since we lost in the championship game, he's added that to his motivation," McAllister said. "Some schools say he's too small, and that irks him.

"Indiana told me that I was too small," Skanes said. "That just makes me work harder because I know I have good speed."

Frank rising up the rankings: Oswego quarterback Steven Frank is one of the fast-rising players in the Class of 2016. He received an offer from Boston College following a throwing session to raise his list to 10 offers, including Illinois, Illinois State, Bowling Green and Buffalo.

"I've had a lot of schools get in contact with me, and I'm trying to see if a few other schools are going to get into the mix," Frank said. "I would like to commit before my senior season starts so I can concentrate on my season."

At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Frank possesses a strong arm and is suited for a pro-style attack. He's been working on increasing his speed and lowering his body fat to draw interest from a wider group of schools.

"I'm trying to cut my body fat from 13 percent to 10 percent and been working with my speed a few times a week," he said. "I've gotten a lot stronger this offseason, and I'm pretty happy with where I'm at."

A consensus three-star prospect, Frank said he plans to make an unofficial visit to Minnesota on Thursday, his first visit to the Big Ten school.

Odds and ends: Evanston junior defensive end Naquan Jones trimmed his lengthy list to six schools on Wednesday. Jones listed Michigan State, South Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State among his final choices, in no order. Jones is planning to announce his college decision on June 5. … St. Viator sophomore tight end Cole Kmet received an offer from Baylor last week, his second following an offer from Louisville in April.